


Hello, Goodbye

by ZoeyWinterRose



Category: Bendy and the Ink Machine
Genre: Alternate Ending, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Chapter 5 Spoilers, Dad Henry, Fluff, Gen, Good Guy Bendy (Bendy and the Ink Machine), Hurt/Comfort, I promise, I swear, bendy is a sweetheart, i didn't plan for it, joey is an bitch, the death was an accident, thomas is a brave boy, wally wants to get outta there
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-02
Updated: 2019-04-17
Packaged: 2019-08-16 16:05:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,338
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16498709
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZoeyWinterRose/pseuds/ZoeyWinterRose
Summary: Henry met Bendy four times in his life. Three times was enough to love the little toon. He decides to take him home and gives him the love he deserves. Not before fighting with Joey about it, however.





	1. The First Meeting

**Author's Note:**

> This was supposed to one chapter of Henry-Bendy adorableness
> 
> It turned into three chapters of madness
> 
> Enjoy!

The first time Henry met Bendy it was a delightful surprise. The studio had been bustling with energy. Animators were running around, finishing work and giving it to other animators for their opinions, the bands were happily heading to their own mini-studio underneath the workshop. Even the pipes seemed to be at ease today, giving off very little squeezes and rarely dripping. While the workers buzzed around like bees, Henry sat at his desk. He was finishing yet another storyboard, his desk littered with them, both complete and not. The thing that stood out the most was his sketch of Bendy. The little demon sat on a small piece of paper off to the side, clipped there. He was angled so he was always looking at Henry’s work with excitement. Sometimes, the young animator would talk to Bendy, explain scenes or just mumble about Joey’s infuriating antics. He knew the small drawing would never actually react to him, but sometimes he pretended it did. 

One late night, as he was finishing a scene with Alice, he heard a small thud. It sounded metallic. Henry could only assume it was the pipes creaking as Joey played around with newly built the ink machine. He discarded the sound and continued his work. It happened again. This time, Henry noticed it was coming from the vent on the wall above his desk. He looked around first, checking to see if anyone was playing a prank on him. It couldn’t be Wally as he left an hour ago. It was just Henry, a few very busy workers, and possibly Joey, though he was too busy trying to come up with his latest business scheme. 

Henry looked up at the vent, staring at it for a few seconds. He saw nothing but darkness but felt eyes looking back at him. Giving it a small glare, he went back to working, glancing up at the vent frequently. Upon finishing inking Alice, there was another sound. This time, there was a figure to go with it. It was small and dark but definitely there. The animator stood and looked closely at his vent, even climbing onto his chair to get a better look. There was a shadowy shape shuffling back into the darkness. Whatever it was stared at him, though he couldn’t see it. Henry stared back. 

He decided his mind was playing tricks on him from exhaustion. He hadn’t slept in a day or two, busy from finishing his work. It was time to go home. As he was walking to the break room to clock out, there was more shuffling from the vents. The pipes and floorboards were silent. It was just the vents. He ignored it and clocked out but still felt the eyes on him. It was driving him crazy. He knew he should sleep but he wanted to prove to himself there was nothing there first! So he went to Wally’s storage closet and found a wrench the boy stole from Thomas. He pulled the vent cover off the closest one and stared inside, squinting to see better. When he saw nothing, he reached his hand inside. He touched something. It soft yet firm. Wet yet dry. He quickly pulled his hand back, confusion written on his face. Whatever was inside must’ve figured there was no point in hiding anymore so it slowly crawled into the light. 

Henry’s jaw dropped slightly, taken aback. In the vent was a little Bendy, roughly the size of a 6-year-old child. The little demon was looking at Henry with an odd combination of fear, curiosity and excitement. He tilted his head at Henry, obviously being cautious. The animator gave him a nervous smile, not wanting to freak him out. 

“Hey, buddy.” He said calmly. “You want to come out of there?”

Bendy crawled forward, slowly and unsurely at first but he grew more eager as he approved his creator. He pushed his head out the vent with a cartoony pop. Henry watched as the little demon fell out the small space, getting up and shaking himself off before his creator could even think of helping. Bendy blinked quite adorably and looked up at the animator hopefully. It was then Henry realized the toon was off model. Bendy’s horns were different lengths, one much longer than it was supposed to be. It pointed up and drooped down, merging with the top of Bendy’s head. 

He must’ve said something about it out loud without meaning to, as Bendy seemed to cover his deformed horn with his hands. His grin dropping to a scared frown. Henry didn’t know why, he wanted to ask, but he also wanted Bendy to feel comfortable. He needed to figure out where the toon came from. Henry sat on his knees and slowly reached up to take Bendy’s hands. The poor toon flinched, squeezing his eyes shut and preparing for the worse. It never came, however. Henry moved his hands off his head, giving the deformed horn a small, careful rub. 

“Don’t worry about that, bud. It looks fine. Where did you come from, anyway?” 

It was Bendy’s turn to be taken aback, though Henry didn’t understand why. He pointed down the hall uncertainly, rubbing his horn unconsciously. His eyes were fixed on Henry’s expression, studying him closely. The human responded with a small smile, slouching over a bit. 

“Do you know my name…?” 

Bendy nodded slowly, pressing his fingers to his horn. The ink was rubbed off on the white gloves. The toon wrote his creator’s name on the wall. The ‘R’ was backward and the tail of the ‘y’ was much too long but it was recognizable. 

“Yeah, that’s me. Good job, buddy. You’re a little miracle, aren’t you? ” 

Henry rubbed the little toon’s head with a soft chuckle. The ink didn’t rub off on his hands, oddly enough. Bendy’s smile returned, everything about him seeming to brighten at the praise. He inched a little closer to Henry. 

A door was slammed somewhere down the hall. Bendy flinched and immediately scuttled back into the vent. Henry peeked around the corner. Of course, it was Joey. Joey Drew, covered head to toe in ink, was stomping towards him. It would’ve been funny if it wasn’t for the angry look on his face. 

“It was here, wasn’t it Henry?” Joey demanded.

“What? You mean Bendy? Yeah, he was here. You finally got that machine working?” 

“I don’t have time for this, Henry, I need to fix it!” 

Joey’s voice got louder as he spoke. Bendy shuffled back further into the vent. They couldn’t quite see him but they could hear him moving away. Joey growled in annoyance. 

“Now it won’t come out. It doesn’t even realize what’s wrong with it!” 

“Just calm down. Of course, he won’t come out if you keep yelling at him.” 

Henry looked in the vent, causing Joey to scoff. He didn’t care what his boss thought, though. Holding his hands outside the vent, he smiled softly into the darkness. He spoke lowly.

“Come on, buddy, nobody’s going to hurt you.” 

Bendy crawled forward a bit, not totally coming out but they could at least see him now. Inky tears trailed down his face. Henry reached in the vent slowly so he wouldn’t scare the poor toon. He rubbed underneath Bendy’s chin with his finger, the little demon letting out a small purring noise and leaning into Henry’s hand. He reached in with his other hand and carefully pulled the little toon out, stilling petting him as he did so. Henry cradled the little devil like a child. Bendy didn’t even realize until his creator stopped petting him. 

“I’ll be honest, Joey, I didn’t think you’d be able to do it,” Henry confessed as he watched the little toon. Bendy was rubbing his cheek against Henry’s shirt, one eye closed. He watched Joey out the other. The ink was rubbing off on Henry’s clothes, but the animator didn’t care. He wiped the tears from the toon’s face, rocking him like a parent would their crying child. Joey did not like this.

“He’s broken, Henry. We have to fix him.” Joey spoke quieter than before, the telltale signs of his anger gone as he wiped ink from his face. He still sounded persistent, though. Henry rubbed Bendy’s head softly, causing the small toon to purr again.

“There’s nothing wrong with him.”

“He’s off model.”

“There’s nothing wrong with him.”

“Henry…. You need to go home, get some sleep.” 

“What about Bendy?” 

“He’ll be here tomorrow! You have my word.” 

Henry looked down at the small figure in his arms. The poor toon had fallen into a peaceful sleep. His mouth was in an ‘o’ shape as he breathed softly. Reluctantly, the animator stood. He held Bendy close, staring at his friend. Joey smiled and held out his arms, ready to take the small toon. With a knot in his chest, Henry trusted Joey. 

It was a while before Henry saw his creation again.


	2. The Second Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Henry finds Bendy. 
> 
> He wished he found him sooner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So  
> I did this today, with the first chapter  
> in one go  
> with no music....  
> .....  
> have fun!

The second time Henry met Bendy, it had been almost a year since their first. Joey assured him the little toon would be there the next day. He wasn’t. In fact, Henry searched. He knew he should’ve been working as they were already so far behind but he couldn’t bring himself too. He wanted to make sure Bendy was alright. He hadn’t been in the vents. Nobody said they saw anything unusual except Thomas Connor, who was there the day Bendy was created. That was the last he saw of the little devil, however.

Henry kept searching. When things were looking hopeless, he went straight to Joey. 

“Where’s Bendy.” It wasn’t even a question. 

“Henry,” Joey’s voice was soothing like he was calming an overreacting child. “Bendy’s form was unstable. We couldn’t help him. There was really nothing we could do! We tried to make things easier on him but he just melted away!” 

Henry didn’t believe it, not entirely. He worked and searched when he was finished, rarely going home these days. He wasn’t giving up. He trusted Joey, even looked up to Joey for a while, but he knew his friend was lying. Bendy had to still be here. When he realized Joey had figured out the machine, he was excited. When he found Bendy hiding in the vents, he was happy his creation was alive. When he walked away from him, he felt guilty. Now, he felt afraid. 

Thomas must have been leaving for the night, as he was coming out of the break room and headed to the main entrance. Henry stood around the corner, looking the scratchy bits of ink they missed when cleaning Bendy’s scribble on the wall. He thought nothing of the conversation Thomas and Wally were having until he heard Bendy’s name. 

“It looked like it was trying to be Bendy but something went wrong. It was like something out of a nightmare. Its smile alone is terrifying enough.” Thomas shivered a bit. He seemed horrified by whatever they were talking about.

“If that thing comes up to this floor and looks at me like that, I’m outta here.”

Henry turned as they passed, waving to them as if he wasn’t eavesdropping. Thomas nodded and kept going, leaving the building as quickly as possible. Wally stopped and got a little closer to Henry. 

“Thomas says there’s a weird, freakish Bendy wanderin’ ‘round. I know ya like your cartoons and all, but this thing’s a nightmare!” 

“Oh yeah? Where is it?” 

“Somewhere ‘round Joey’s office. Tom says it wanders, gets real close to the stairs. Freaks out everyone workin’ down there. If they think I’m goin’ to that floor and cleaning the mess it makes, they got another thing comin’.” 

Henry nodded in agreement. He wouldn’t either, honestly, but it sounded like Joey did something to Bendy. He had to see. Wally snapped in fingers in front of Henry’s face.

“Hey pal, you still there? Look, I don’t wanna be the one to send ya to your death but if you wanna go, I’m not stoppin’ ya. Just be careful if you do go, alright?” Wally warned. 

“I’ll make sure I’m careful. Thanks, Wally.” Henry gives him a reassuring smile. The janitor shrugged, though he still looked concerned, and left. Henry took a deep breath, going down to where Joey’s office was. He didn’t understand. How had he not seen Bendy wandering around there? Unless he was at his desk when Bendy was in sight. Why hadn’t any workers told him the truth about it if they were freaking out over it? 

He made it to the hall of offices Joey had on the lower floors, glancing at the door to the film vault as he went. He noticed the wooden door to the vault had been replaced by an actual steel vault door, wondering when that happened. 

The hallways were twisting around each other and Henry made circles to try and find traces of Bendy. There was nothing. Not even people. The only sound was the constant banging on metal, like the machine was going haywire, and scribbling coming from Joey’s office. He went to the source of the scribbling. 

Joey was draped across his desk, focused on… whatever he was sketching. Henry cleared his throat to get his attention. Joey glanced up at him briefly, going back to sketching. 

“Hello, Henry! What can I do for you on such a fabulous night?” Joey’s voice boomed in the quiet office, echoing into the halls. The banging stopped.

“Well… It was strange. I heard a few people talking about a creepy figure down here. Do you know anything about that?” 

“Hmm… Can’t say that I do. You know how people get, going days without sleep to finish their work. I told them to go home but none of them would have it. Speaking of, how are those scenes coming along?” 

“They’re going good. I guess I’ll get back to work so they can get finished.” 

“Good work, Henry!” 

Henry stepped out the room, closing the door behind him. He didn’t see Joey watching him through the glass window as he went down the hallway. He couldn’t see the lead animator’s smile dropping to a frown. 

As he made it to the reception desk they built, he noticed the banging started up again. It was odd the machine was being so loud. He was so far from it! It almost sounded like it was coming from the vault….

Henry looked over at the giant door. Glancing behind him to make sure Joey didn’t follow, he went up to it. The banging was coming from here! With all his might, he pulled the door open. 

The room was empty, aside from ink. Henry didn’t understand. Wouldn’t the ink ruin the film? He stepped inside the room and turned on the light. The lump of ink on the far end curled in on itself. It seemed like it was shivering. Chains connected from the middle of the large walls to the ink mass. Against his better judgment, Henry took a step forward. The lump seemed to curl up tighter. The closer he got, the worse it reacted. It shook and sounded like it was whimpering. It sounded like a kicked puppy. 

Henry finally made it to the lump. He knelt down next to it. The chains rattled as the lump seemed to grow a face. The wide grin was recognizable. Despite the creature’s fear, it grinned almost painfully. 

“Bendy…?” Henry spoke softly. The lump immediately reacted to his voice, nuzzling its forehead against Henry’s leg. The animator let out a relieved chuckle, rubbing the inky head lovingly. It was Bendy. He found him. What happened, he wondered. What did Joey do to Bendy? 

Bendy’s whimpering pulled Henry out of his thoughts. He looked down at the ink creature, rubbing between his horns. Bendy reached up and wiped the tears Henry didn’t know he was shedding. The ex-toon sat up, hunching over. He was taller than Henry, his horns a little wobbly and his body mass being gruesome. Henry could almost see the skeletal structure under Bendy’s ink. One of his feet was clubbed while the other was hooved. His hands were gloved and cartoony like they were supposed to except one hand had 3 fingers and the other had 4. The chains looked to be inserted into Bendy’s wrists, traces of the showing up in the ink that made up the toon’s skin. A larger chain circled his waist. Henry grimaced.

“What did Joey do to you, buddy…” 

Bendy whimpered at hearing Joey’s name. He hunched over and tried to get into Henry’s lap but he was too large to fit well. Still, he tried. He pressed his forehead against Henry’s cheek and curled up as much as possible. Henry chuckled sadly and rubbed between his horns, rocking him back and forth slowly. He received a purr in response. 

“Now that I found you, I’ll take care of you... I promise.” 

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep, Henry. You know that’s a good way to lose trust in anyone!” Joey’s voice rang out from the other side of the vault. Bendy’s ink spiked a bit, letting out a small whimper and hiding his face in Henry’s neck. He seemed to get smaller, his ink compressing against itself. 

“Joey, please, let me get him out of here. I’ll keep him in a room where he’s out of sight.” Henry pleaded, ink staining his clothes from Bendy’s now melting form. 

“No can do, Henry! You see, there’s only one Bendy. Boris and Alice? They're replaceable! I can just melt them away and restart from scratch! But Bendy? There can only ever be one!” 

“But why?” 

“Because he’s the star! Besides, you made him! I used your picture to make him since you wouldn’t help.” 

“What?” Henry was in shock by that statement.

“How else would he have imprinted on you so fast? For all he knows, you’re his father or something! Ha! Isn’t that a silly thought? Anyway, I can make Boris’s and Alices all day long if I wanted! But that’s the only Bendy. He’s a mess, isn’t he? If you help me, we can erase and start from scratch! Just like the cartoons!” 

Henry shook his head, standing up. The hulking figure of Bendy loomed over them from behind him, but neither of them was afraid. Bendy just latched onto Henry for dear life, not wanting to be left again. Henry put his hand on Bendy’s cheek and gave him a reassuring smile, stepping closer to his old friend. Bendy whimpered and hunched over, watching intently. He was meltier than before. 

“Joey,” Henry didn’t back down. “I need those keys to unchain him.”

“Sorry, Henry but I can’t! Can’t let you get too attached to him now! Not when we’re just going to melt him anyway.” 

“We’re not melting him!” 

“Melt him or leave, Henry. Those are your options. Now, what will you do?” 

What Henry did was a shock to all three of them. He punched Joey right in the nose. Joey stumbled, falling on his back. He slowly got up and stepped towards Henry. When Joey opened his mouth to speak again, Henry punched him again. Then Joey pushed first. Then, the two fought, neither really wanting to. Bendy’s form melted even more, the poor toon trying desperately to help his creator. He couldn’t. 

There was a thud. The whole room went silent. Joey back away, tears prickling his eyes. Henry lay on the floor next to a bloody spot on the wall. Blood pooled around him. His chest was still, his eyes lifeless. 

Bendy let out a heartbroken screech.

Joey chocked back a sob. 

He killed Henry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you like the ending to it? Are ya ready for the next chapter??? C:


	3. The Third Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Henry finally gets to Bendy. Joey gets there too.

At first, it was nothing. Just darkness and silence. Then it was thoughts. Memories swimming around like fish in a bowl. He remembered Joey. He remembered the ink machine. Then drawings. Bendy, the cartoon, Alice, Boris. A regretful sob and a screech that was so heartbroken it broke his own heart. If he even had one. Everything was there, except it wasn’t. There were gaps. Spaces, holes that didn’t make any sense. What made the sound? It sounded like chains, too. Where did it happen? What happened? Who was he? Henry, he thought. His name was Henry. 

 

He waded through the lake of ink, the sloshing black liquid consuming him up to his chest. At first, he was worried something would be in it with him but nothing attacked. The walls creaked and dripped ink, a waterfall of it pouring from sides of the large machine like it was some spectacular fountain. The ink machine from the beginning of his adventure could be seen lowering into the larger, presumably dysfunctional one he was crawling into. It felt good to be on dry land again. Relatively dry land at least. The whole place around him seemed to grow. Or he shrunk. Either way, the lake had stretched so far that Tom and Allison were just dots in the distance. Standing under the nozzle of the giant machine he felt even smaller. It stood over him with intimidating size. This wouldn’t dissuade him, however. He had to go inside and end this once and for all. Still, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he’d done this before even despite it being his first time here. 

Going inside, he took a good look at his surroundings. The whole thing was around him like some demented, wooden castle. The boards underneath his feet were surprisingly sturdy yet they groaned as if they were hundreds of years old. In the walls on either side held creatures being fed ink through pipes lodged into their backs. One looked like a pure black version of Boris. The others were the fallen ones. Henry couldn’t fathom why the ink monster would keep them in glass cages. He didn’t care to think about it either. There was a lever next to the giant ominous door. It seemed to glow. Henry felt the urge to pull it but he wasn't quite sure what it did. It might open the door and allow him inside or open the cells for the inky creatures surrounding him. There didn't seem to be another way in, just the lever. It sounded crazy, he knew, but the lever gave off a slight yellowish glow. 

With no other visible option, he pulled it. At first, nothing happened. Then the whole building seemed to rumble as the door slowly slid open. The glass concealing the ink creatures stayed in place. 

With a relieved sigh, he stepped inside only to be taken aback again. The sight before him was strange and interesting. A throne sat atop a pile of ink, projectors, and broken reels. The projectors lit up the room with cartoons of Bendy, Boris, and Alice. The throne was clean of ink aside from two tips that looked like horns. Chains wrapped around them, both dried and wet ink staining them. A tape player rested against the base of the throne. Curiosity drove him to press the play button. Joey's voice echoed and crackled out the speaker, demanding Henry finish this nightmare. Henry should have been shocked and determined to do as his friend requested but for some reason he wasn't. In place of determination and shock, he felt dread and regret. He didn't understand why.

Sitting on the throne was a reel. With this reel, it would be over and everything would fix itself. The threat, the Ink Demon, would be gone. Careful to not break it, Henry lifted the reel. Doing so seemed to anger the demon as he crawled out from behind the throne as if this very action summoned him. He leaned over the back of it, his perpetual grin unwavering as his hands grew in size. He ducked down behind the chair once again before the animator could react. Henry wanted to speak up, to call out or see what was happening but fear locked him in place. Soon after, two wobbling ink horns lifted above the back of the throne. The owner of the horns crawled over the chair with ease once again, growling menacingly at the man. The once tall, lanky mock Bendy was now bulging in size, supported by his long arms. His legs were smaller and thinner, the ink seeming to have been drained from them and distributed to the rest of him. He raised his giant claw to finish off the human for good.

Instead of being sliced, though, Henry just got knocked into the next room. Henry was barely hurt by it, only a bruise forming on his right arm where he hit the floor. Nothing was broken or even seriously hurt. He stood cautiously, just in time to hear a roar and see Bendy barreling down hallways. The human was braced for the worst but it was simple to avoid the demon. Stick to the walls and look before crossing the hallway. As he ran around to pull switches, he started to ponder what exactly Bendy was doing. The Ink Demon had every chance to kill him multiple times through the studio. Even now, when he was so close to him, there was no final blow. In fact, Bendy didn’t even seem to be trying to find Henry. He was just running. 

Henry slowed to a stop, pressed against the corner. Letting out a heavy, tired breath, he watched the demon run. Bendy didn’t seem angry just desperate. Like a wild animal backed in a corner. Joey thought this reel would kill the demon and fix everything but what if it wasn’t the only way? It was worth a shot, Henry thought. 

He pushed against the wall and dropped the reel next to his feet, cupping his hands around his mouth and screaming for Bendy. The giant demon stopped and crawled over to Henry cautiously, a deep growl coming from his throat. To say he was intimidating was an understatement. Henry took a shaky breath and reached his hand out slowly, looking directly into where the demon’s eyes should have been. 

“It’s okay, I’m not going to hurt you.” His voice was soft, trying to lull the demon to relax. It worked. The ink demon pressed his head against Henry’s outstretched hand slowly but he didn’t fully drop his guard. As soon as they made contact it felt like something had broken inside, something holding his memories at bay. He suddenly got flooded with memories that he’d never seen but somehow knew they were his. He remembered his wife, their daughter, Joey working him nonstop, his coworkers. A little toon popping out the vent and Joey screaming about his imperfections. Not seeing the little toon for a long, long time and suddenly finding him chained to the wall in so much pain it hurt the creator himself. A fight between him and Joey. Bendy screeching, trying to get to him, Joey sobbing over his dying body. Then darkness. Then light. Then studio. 

It didn’t make sense. He was dying. Had they fixed him with ink? 

A pained screech brought him out of his thoughts. Looking up, he saw the ink demon limping to the side, an ax embedded in his ankle. Tom snarled as Alice ran straight to Henry, trying to drag him away. 

“Come on, Henry, we have to leave! Tom can only do so much!” Her voice seemed so distant. All Henry could focus on was the demon, who was struggling to get Tom off his back. 

“How… How did you…?” Henry stuttered, glancing at her momentarily. Bendy’s pained screeches and Tom’s grunts kept his attention. 

“I built a bridge out of planks after we heard the Ink Demon breaking things. Come on, let’s go.” She urged once more, pulling Henry towards the exit. He broke free and darted straight for the two fighting ink creatures.

“Tom, get off him! He’s not a threat, I can take care of him!” Henry screamed, not getting too close in fear of getting hurt himself. Tom froze, looking down at the human from the back of the demon. For the first time since they’d met, Tom’s eyes were full of trust. 

It didn’t last. Bendy slammed the Boris clone against the wall and Tom went limp. Everything seemed to move too fast yet so slow after that. Allison let out a broken scream and ran over to her fallen companion. She begged and pleaded for him to get up, a hand on his chest and inky tears rolling down her cheeks. There was no response.

Bendy let out a small, gurgling whine, inching over slowly. He was hunched, looking defeated. Henry could tell he was worried and felt guilty. The demon reached out a giant, inky claw to touch Tom but Allison pulled the wolf closer to her in a protective manner, ears flopping as she did so yet he did not react. She stared at the demon for a few seconds, breathing heavily before she could muster a harsh glare. The glare dropped as she saw Bendy’s expression and position. His mouth was frozen yet he held himself like a kicked puppy. His whines gave away his own emotions of sorrow. Her attention went back to Tom as she openly sobbed into his melting chest. Bendy looked at Henry, whining softly. 

“It’s alright, buddy.” Henry petted the ink monster, watching the angel with pity. “You didn’t mean it….” 

“At least it wasn’t Boris.” A very familiar, booming voice spoke. It sounded like it came from all around them like it was everywhere at one time. Bendy hunched over Henry protectively. Allison did not respond. They saw a figure in the doorway, one they hadn’t noticed before- or had it simply not been there? It hobbled and limped into the light, revealing an older, weaker Joey Drew. Henry was shocked and horrified. 

“Joey?” Henry’s voice echoed around the silent room. “What happened to you?” 

“Time, my dear old friend,” Joey replied, almost pridefully. “Why it took me years and years to perfect this! And you’re the most perfect Henry so far! Why you even befriended Bendy! That’s something that only Henry could do!” 

“Because I am Henry. Why wouldn’t I be?” 

Allison looked up slowly, a somber expression plastered on her face. She whimpered for a few seconds before actually being able to speak. 

“Henry…. You’re… You’re a clone… You’re not real. L-like Susie. Like me.” 

“W-What…? But how-” Henry tried to grasp the reality of it all but struggled to.

“Well you see,” Joey spoke like he was speaking to a child. “You were killed. Completely by accident, of course. So I tried and tried to bring you back to make up for the mistakes we all made. The first Henry was a total failure, completely busted and out of character. Then the second was better. Every time was better in fact! Until we got to you. You are perfect. You're the hope we all needed!”

“You're the one behind all this…? You… You made Henry? Did you make me? And Tom?”

“That I did, my dear Allison. You were more perfect than Susie. Susie was always on the crazy side of things.”

“Can you fix Tom? Please? I-I need him back!” Allison's voice cracked again. A puddle of ink took Tom’s place and the metallic arm he once used was cradled in her arms. 

“I’m afraid not, my dear. You see, now that Henry’s back and we can fix every mistake we made, I have no need for Tom.” 

“W-What…? But… Henry…?” Allison looked at her human companion for help but discovered he would be none. 

Henry was crouched down, staring at his hands. His eyes were wide and his mouth agape. Words were trying to form yet nothing would. Bendy whined and nuzzled against the man’s shoulder, hunching over him protectively. Joey moved closer to him, holding his arms out in a friendly manner. Bendy pulled Henry closer, growling softly but this did not dissuade the other man. 

“Come on now, Henry. You remember how close we used to be. Let’s talk, like old times. We can even fix Bendy and revive our empire!” As Joey spoke, he lifted Henry out of Bendy’s grasp and led him a distance from the toons. Bendy clearly didn’t want to let go but Henry’s lack of resistance scared him. He whined very loudly, trying to get the human’s attention. 

“Fix Bendy…?” Henry repeated, looking up at Joey. “W-What about Tom…?” 

“The real Thomas Connor is out there, surely he’d be happy to meet you again! Come on, now, Henry. Things can finally be made right. We just have to get to the ink machine and talk it all through while I fix Bendy.” 

Another loud whine from Bendy got Henry’s attention. The inky being was now hovering over Allison who was still clutching the arm. She was now standing, though, taking small steps towards them as they walked. Bendy didn’t seem too keen on letting her go without him nor Henry get far with Joey. Henry fell out of steps with Joey and back beside Allison. He put a hand on her arm and rubbed under Bendy’s dripping chin with the other, causing the ink monster to let out a rumbling purr. Allison gave them a small, weary smile. 

“Alright, Joey.” Henry looked at his old friend with a small smile. “Let’s go to the ink machine.” 

Joey’s body obviously tensed and his hands clenched. The glare that crossed his face was brief but everyone saw it. Just as quickly as it appeared it all vanished and they continued their way up to the ink machine. Joey rambled ceaselessly to Henry, pridefully going on about how learned to control ink. Henry was half listening, choosing to whisper soft and comforting words to Allison and petting Bendy. Both toons seemed grateful for this while Joey only seemed more and more irritated as they walked. Finally, the ink machine was in sight. It was different, though. It was smaller than the one from before, much smaller. It looked like a prototype. The room it was kept in was completely empty and clean with two doors on the other side. Both were closed.

“Here we are, Henry,” Joey said, patting the machine in an oddly affectionate way. “The key to all of our problems. You see when you died, everything failed. But now we can fix everything! We can rebuild everything, remake Boris and fix Bendy, have a perfect Alice. We can remake our empire, shiny and new!” 

“Fix Bendy?” Henry looked unsure of everything. “Remake Boris? A perfect Alice? Joey, this doesn’t sound like a good idea.”

“Relax, it’ll be fine! Now I need you to trust me. Alice, get in the machine. Then you can help us remake Boris! Doesn’t that sound good?” 

Alice seemed just as tense and weary as Henry, stepping back a few paces. A look of confliction crossed her face. She was afraid, it was clear, but the way she glanced at the mechanical arm in her hands also showed she was interested. 

“We’ll be able to bring Tom back, right?” She sounded almost like a child, cradling the arm closer than before. 

“Of course! And He’ll be as good as new, I promise! He won’t even need that arm anymore. Now, put it down and step into the machine.” Joey coaxed the angel, putting an arm around her shoulder and leading her to the machine. Henry tensed greatly as he tried to get her attention. She wasn’t listening to him though. Her thoughts were on one thing- bringing Tom back. He reached out to touch her but Joey held him back, a deceitful smile on his lips. 

“Let the girl have this, Henry. You want her to be happy, don’t you old friend?” Joey’s words made Henry tense. Of course, he wanted Alisson to be happy but he didn’t trust this. He couldn’t trust Joey. 

“I know it’s stupid,” Alisson spoke softly and sorrowfully, smiling at Henry. “If it means we get Tom back then I’ll do it.” 

Henry couldn’t stop her from climbing into the machine’s nozzle where ink was poured in. Bendy whined and reached to grab her but she slid inside before he could even come close. They couldn’t see her in the tank, only the mechanical arm she refused to let go of. It was like she had just melted away and merged with the rest of the ink. 

“Bendy’s turn,” Joey said happily as he waited behind the control panel. The ink creature growled, shaking his head in response. He wasn’t getting in the machine. Henry turned to look at his beloved toon and saw him back to his taller, lankier form. The ink was just melting off. Not like before though. It wasn’t absorbed into the ceiling and the walls, it was just melting into the floor. It was like he was shedding it, getting smaller and smaller as he did so. 

“Buddy, what’s happening to you?” Henry spoke softly and calmly to not alert his friend. Bendy didn’t even seem to understand what he meant, tilting his head. A glob of ink splattered against the floor. 

“He’s not in the studio anymore. There isn’t any ink around to keep him stable. Now, into the machine, Bendy. I don’t have all day. And by the looks of things, neither do you.” 

Bendy let out a quivering whimper, nudging against Henry like he could make everything disappear. Henry was very tense and his eyes were scrunched in anger. 

“You knew that would happen, didn’t you?” He spoke to Joey but couldn’t look at him. “You knew Bendy wouldn’t be able to hold his form.”   
“Of course I did but I couldn’t tell you that. You wouldn’t have come if I did!” Joey sounded like Henry was the one being crazy. “If you care about him like you say and want him to be able to walk around and dance like the little cartoon you knew, you’ll put him into the machine. Better hurry, Henry. Bendy’s having a hard time, don’t you think?” 

He didn’t even need to see it to know Bendy was smaller. He could feel the ink demon’s face buried in his abdomen, hiccuping softly into his shirt. Bendy was much smaller and very much in pain. There was little choice to the man. 

“I’m sorry, buddy,” Henry muttered as he lifted Bendy into his arms. He was extremely light for a being made of thick ink. His face was still melting but two pie-cut eyes could be made out when the ink wasn’t running over them. He whimpered yet his mouth didn’t move from its grin. Henry knew it couldn’t. As they approached the ink machine, Bendy’s whimpering grew louder and louder, his gloved hand tugging at Henry’s shirt pleadingly. 

“I know, Bendy, but you’re not going to last much longer like this. I promise I won’t let him do anything to hurt you, okay? I’m going to keep you safe this time.” Henry pressed his forehead against the toon’s and gave him a bittersweet smile. Bendy calmed and pressed himself against the man as much as he could. With reluctance, Henry sat the toon in the nozzle of the machine. He gave him a squeeze that was intended to be a hug and let him slide down into the inky pool of the machine. 

“Alright, Joey. Now fix him and Tom and let them out.” Henry turned to his old friend with a demanding expression. “And I mean it, Joey, if you hurt them I’m going to kill you.” 

“Now now, Henry, calm down. I’m not going to hurt him. There’s simply nothing left to hurt.” Joey pressed a button on the machine and the ink inside started swirling. There was a scream that sounded like nails on a chalkboard. Maybe even worse. It got weaker as the ink swirled. The robotic arm belonging to Tom kept banging against the glass almost rymatically. Henry knew his reaction wasn’t the smartest nor was it the most helpful but he ran to the nozzle and reached inside. The ink burned hot against his skin. It felt like it was boiling his own blood. 

“Henry! Get back! You’ll destroy the machine and then none of them can be brought back!” Joey reached out to grab his friend but Henry snatched away from him. He had to get Bendy and Allison out, no matter what. Reaching into the machine again, he slipped inside. All he heard was Joey’s screams of protest and anger. Then, he heard him like they were underwater. Then the voice wasn’t there at all. In its place was Henry’s own gargled screams of agony as the hot ink pulled at him. He could feel everything and it burned. Suddenly, he felt overloaded. Bendy’s whimpers and Allison’s cries swirled around him. He couldn’t focus on them. The pain was too much. What felt like a small hand wrapped around his own as he lost consciousness and the world faded away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so... yeah there's another chapter. Whoops, this one was entirely too long. Sorry! I'm working on it, though, I really am. I work on writing at work so this will be fine!


	4. The Final Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Henry doesn't know where he is or what happened but he knows it's over. That's all that matters.

Joey Drew always tried to remain calm through everything. Every time a situation arose he’d be calm and collected. Finding a solution would be easy. This, however, was a rare time. He was not calm and was definitely not collected. There was no solution. He tried to stop Henry from climbing into the machine. It simply couldn’t hold so many people, so much ink. Not like the original machine but it was broken. It was only supposed to be Bendy. Alice wasn’t supposed to live this long but the machine could handle her. After all, he had to get rid of her somehow. That was easier than he originally expected. All he had to do was give her the fake promise of hope. Bendy was much harder but still manageable with Henry’s help. Henry could’ve completely started over had the both been taken care of. Henry, even though this was only a clone of him, was the true creator. It would have worked with him.

Joey had forgotten how much Henry loved his creations. As Henry dove into the nozzle, Joey grabbed for him desperately. He yelled for him to come back, to get out and leave it be. There was nothing more he could do as the other turned to pure ink and mixed with the rest of the batch. The machine creaked and groaned in protest. Ink ran down the cracking glass. Henry was too much. In a blind panic, Joey pressed buttons and pulled levers. The combination of actions was supposed to form a creature from the machine. He didn’t care what it made as long as he got ink out. The machine, however, couldn’t do as requested. It had nothing to go off of. There was nothing to create without a blueprint and Joey didn’t have time to grab one. The tank burst and filled the room with ink.

It felt neverending. The black liquid covered almost everything, including Joey. By the time it stopped everything was washed away. What wasn’t gone was so drenched in ink it was almost unrecognizable. Joey had so much of it on him and soaked into his clothes he found it hard to stand. With great difficulty, he finally managed to at least hunch over an ink-stained table. One look at the machine told him what he feared had come to fruition. The glass on the tank was completely shattered and the inside was hollow aside from a shallow ink puddle. Steam rose from the mechanical panel accompanied by an electrical hiss and groaning from the metal. Pieces of the machine were falling off. It was busted. He couldn’t fix it. He was too old and too weak. Thomas was the closest thing to help he would get and he refused to talk anymore. He didn’t want to be involved in anything Joey was doing. This was his last chance and Bendy had ruined it for him. Not Henry, though. Henry would’ve helped. Bendy just had to make Henry soft. He had to take him away. 

Joey collapsed to the ground. He leaned back on his heels. This was the end. He had a chance and he failed. The defeat hit him like a ton of bricks. With a bitter sob, he leaned forward and cried. Joey Drew had lost. 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

The grey above him was the first thing he saw. There were white, fluffy things too. Was it the sky? Were they clouds? They looked like clouds. Henry sat up and rubbed his head with a groan. He remembered jumping into the machine but that was it. He remembered nothing afterward if anything even happened after. Looking around he saw everything was various shades of grey. It looked like an old cartoon. In fact, everything looked cartoonish. It all bounced and popped despite the lack of color. Where was he? He didn’t get to process much else before he was tackled backward to the ground. He heard a purr and looked down. It was Bendy, small and expressive just as he was meant to be. He looked up and met Henry’s eyes. A whistle escaped his grinning face. Henry scooped up the tiny toon into his large arms. Weird, his arms were larger than normal. Actually, they were cartoonish just like the rest of the world. Was he a cartoon? He had to be. He shouldn’t be surprised. He was resurrected in ink before this, after all.

“Hey, Buddy.” He smiled at the little toon in his arms. “You wouldn’t happen to know where we are, would you?” 

Bendy tilted his head and looked around. Henry noticed the toon’s grin drooped a bit. A light bulb appeared over Bendy’s head. He jumped out of Henry’s grip and grabbed his hand. The man was drug down the hill he didn’t even realize they were on. Around them were gray fields that were gorgeous even in silver. There was a city in the distance. It looked as if it were physically bouncing. At the foot of the hill was people. Henry recognized them as they got closer. A tall, thin version of Alice Angel stood with her arms around Boris. This ‘Boris’ had a mechanical arm. He kept flexing the fingers of the metallic arm without even seeming to realize it. 

“Tom?” Henry choked out. The two turned to him and what he saw left Henry shocked. They had pie-cut eyes, both of them. Tom looked the same as before except his arm was a cartoon as well. Henry knew the other had to be Allison. Her halo still worked as a hair tie but her eyes and face reminded him of Betty Boop. She was so much taller and thinner than Alice. She held onto Tom for dear life. It was definitely Allison. 

“How? Tom, you died.” Henry sounded absolutely taken aback by seeing them both. He was. He had seen them die. 

“I woke up and Tom was already here.” Allison smiled softly. It was a bittersweet turn of her lips. “He was scared. We talked and figured out he came here when I did. He just woke up first.” 

“The ink machine.” Henry glanced to the side in guilt. “I’m so sorry, guys. I thought maybe I could-”

Tom cut off the human toon with a head shake. He pointed up and when they looked, he saw nothing but gray sky. 

“There was a hole,” Allison added to the explanation. “It disappeared as you fell through. It was like an inky portal. We watched it and it just swirled.” 

“That’s where Bendy and Boris came from.” Henry realized. They had not been created. They had been sucked out of their own world into Joey’s own twisted Hell. 

“I think we’re stuck here, Henry.” Allison looked around with a smile. She seemed to like it so far. “It’s better than the studio. At least we’re outside.”

Henry couldn’t believe he was in the world of the toons he created and loved so much. He could apologize to Boris for failing him and meet Alice. The real Alice Angel. It was like a dream come true for him. Bendy’s soft whistle got his attention. The toon sounded sad. Henry lifted him into his arms, holding him like the child he was. 

“What’s wrong, buddy?” Henry watched him for an expression change. Bendy only whined, nodding to Allison’s feet. The angel seemed to know what he meant without being told. She stepped aside and pulled Tom with her. Behind where they stood were five graves: Charlie, Fisher, Edgar, Alice Angel, and Boris. 

“They didn’t make it back here….?” Henry asked sadly, already knowing the answer. Tom averted his gaze and Allison slowly shook her head. 

“At least they’re free now. Free from that horrible place.” She added. The group stood around the graves and said their goodbyes in soft mutters. When they were done they headed towards the only place they really knew to go- the city. A short while of silence made Allison chirp up. 

“I guess if we’re here we may as well enjoy it, right?” She tried to lighten the mood. Tom shrugged and looked at the clouds. They were fluffing looking and soft. He quickly lost interested in them and looked back at his partner. Suddenly, he grinned and playfully swooped her up in his arms. Giggles erupted from the angel and Tom was audibly chuckling. He pressed a kiss to her cheek only for her to kiss his nose. Bendy covered his eyes with a squeak, his cheeks turning a soft gray. Henry smiled and rubbed between the two pointy horns atop his head. He knew here it would be far from normal. That didn’t make him any less ready though. For the first time since Joey brought him into existence, he felt alive. He felt hopeful and happy. He liked being happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the unexpected fourth chapter! It all wouldn't fit in chapter 3 so I had to break it up! Thank you so very much for reading! I had hella fun with this! Let me know how you liked it!

**Author's Note:**

> I did this in three hours of complete silence, how did I do?


End file.
